About this book

Over the last 530 million years, there have been five mass extinctions of species – the last, 65 million years ago, when the dinosaurs disappeared. Leakey and Lewin believe that the biodiversity of our planet may now be on the verge of a sixth extinction, caused this time by humanity's relentless expansion and unchecked appetite. This superbly crafted work outlines this powerful and persuasive thesis, with evidence drawn from palaeontology, biology, ecology, and economics.